Constructing an International Library: The Collections of Journals in Turin’s Special Mathematics Library (1883-1964)

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30 July 2021 Original Citation:

Constructing an International Library: The Collections of Journals in Turin’s Special Mathematics Library (1883-1964)

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DOI:10.1016/j.hm.2018.10.007 Terms of use:

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ScienceDirect

Historia Mathematica 45 (2018) 433–449

www.elsevier.com/locate/yhmat

Constructing

an

international

library:

The

collections

of

journals

in Turin’s

Special

Mathematics

Library

Erika Luciano

DepartmentofMathematics,UniversityofTurin,viaCarloAlberto10,10123Torino,Italy

Availableonline 19November2018

Abstract

TheSpecialMathematicsLibraryofTurinUniversity,foundedin1883,wasfundamentalinthedevelopmentoftworesearch schools underthe leadershipof C.Segre andG.Peano. Firstfounded tohouse agrowingcollection ofinternationaljournals acquiredthroughbothpurchaseandexchangefrompublishingcentresworldwide,itlaterevolvedintoa‘presencelibrary’modelled onthelegendaryLesezimmerinGöttingen.Asystematicstudyofthelibrary’shistoryanditsdirectors’policiesprovidesinteresting insightsintothevariousaspectsoftheinternationalcirculationofjournalsandtheiruseatdifferenttimesandinvariouscontexts inTurin(TurinAcademyofSciences,Societàdicultura,nationaluniversitylibrary,etc.).

LaBibliotecaSpecialediMatematica,creatapressol’UniversitàdiTorinonel1883,rivestìunruolofondamentalenellosviluppo diduescuolediricerca,sottoladirezionediC.SegreediG.Peano.Concepitainizialmenteperospitareunacollezionedilibrie periodiciincostanteampliamento,grazieaunamiratapoliticadiacquistiescambiconl’estero,essadivenneconilpassaredegli anniuna‘bibliotecaascaffaleaperto’,strutturatasulmodellodellaleggendariaLesezimmerdiGöttingen.Unesamesistematico dellastoriadiquestabibliotecaedellestrategiedeisuoidirettorifornisceunasuggestivapanoramicasulledinamichedicircolazione internazionaleediutilizzodeigiornalimatematiciaTorinoinunamolteplicitàdimomentiedicontesti(AccademiadelleScienze, Societàdicultura,BibliotecaNazionaleUniversitaria,ecc.).

MSC: 01A55;01A60;01A72;01A74

Keywords: Mathematicaljournals;Mathematicslibraries;Internationalcirculationofknowledge;UniversityofTurin

E-mailaddress:erika.luciano@unito.it. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.hm.2018.10.007

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1. Researchschoolsandthetwofunctionsofamathematicallibrary

InalectureheldattheComitéinternationaldesbibliothèquesin1952,F.Severi,anoutstandingmember oftheItalianschoolofalgebraicgeometry,statedthatlibrariescanbeconceivedfromtwodifferentpointsof view.Thefirstseeslibrariesas‘sourcesofdoctrineofformedscience,withitsalmostdefinitiveconquests, itsfaults,sometimesmoreusefulthanhalf-truths,anditsaudaciousanticipations’.1Thisisthestaticpoint ofview,accordingtowhichalibraryisessentially abookdepository, aperspectiveinevitablylessuseful toaworkingscientist,sincethepatrimonyofanylibraryintendedforconservationis‘fatallycondemned to lackthedynamism necessarytocloselyfollow theprogressofscience’.2 Thesecondpointofviewis thatwhichconceivesalibraryasaninstrumentfortheadvancementofscienceandknowledge,withadual functionsimilartothatofthebanks,whichon onehandpreservemoney, andon theotherhandcirculate andinvest ittoproducenewcapital.Suchadualfunctionisgenerallyattributedtothe‘speciallibraries’ attachedtouniversityfaculties,whoseremarkabledevelopmentinthenineteenth andtwentiethcenturies was determined by the increasingspecialisation of research, ata time inwhich ‘scientific life develops fasterthanthegreatconservationlibraries’.3

With respecttoboth perspectives,andespeciallyinrelationto thesecondone,the presenceofa spe-cial libraryisanimportantresourcethatfavours theestablishment ofa researchcentre,tothe pointthat Severi states:‘therenolongerexists,perhaps,asciencelaboratorywithoutaspeciallibrary’.4 Since spe-ciallibrariesareconceivedandcreatedtosupportongoingresearch,intheseinstitutionsthecollectionsof journalsandthemiscellaneaofoffprints,whichbythe endofthenineteenthcentury andthe firsthalfof thetwentieth centuryrepresentedoneofthetoolsorvehiclesforcirculationmostused,takeon agreater importancethanthepatrimonyofbooksandmanuscripts.

Inlightofthisassumption,itisinterestingtostudythecirculationandtheinterplayamongjournalsas evidencedinthehistoryoftheSpecialMathematicsLibraryofTurinUniversity(hereafterabbreviatedas SML).Afirstapproachtosuchananalysiswouldbetoreconstructtheclassification(s)andthespatialorder ofjournalson theshelvesoftheSML,whichwouldshedlightonthelibrary’sconstitutionandpractices, i.e., howthe variouspeople involvedsaw andused it.5 Unfortunately,the sourcesexisting nowadaysdo not allowustodo this.Inallthe historicalcataloguesofthe SML(1891,1896, 1905)thejournals were classified inalphabeticalorder,withoutreferencetotheirfeatures,contentsorreadership.Weknoweven less about the physical space of the SML as a set of journals organised andjuxtaposed accordingto a certainlogicontheshelves,sincethetopographicplansoftheSMLwerelostinWorldWarII.Asortof a virtualmapoftheSMLmightbereconstructedaposteriori by cross-referencingtwo typesofdata:the stillvisibleshelf-marksaffixedin1948tothebackorcoversofjournals,andsomeinformationwrittenon theoldcardsoftheLibrary’scatalogue,whichcarrydatasuchas:AnnuariodelMinisterodellaPubblica IstruzioneIsalariservata,Iscaffaleasinistra (YearbookoftheMinistryofPublicInstruction1streserved room,1stshelftotheleft).However,unfortunately,becauseofthetruedifferencebetweentheoldandthe newpremisesoftheSML,suchavirtualtopographicplandoesnotsuggestinterestingperspectivesonhow the collectionsof journalswerealigned on theshelves, orhowthey interactedbeforethe transferofthe SMLin1948.Furthermore,neitherphotographsnordrawingsoftheSML’spremisesbefore1948exist.

1 _“Sources_de_doctrine_de_la_science_formée,_avec_ses_conquêtes_presque_{définitives,}_ses_fautes,_quelquefois_plus_utiles_que_les demi-vérités,etsesanticipationsaudacieuses”(Severi,1952,20).

2 _{“Fatalement}_condamnée_à_manquer_du_dynamisme_nécessaire_pour_suivre_de_près_la_marche_de_la_Science”_(Severi,₁₉₅₂_,_20). 3 _“La_vie_se_développe_plus_rapidement_que_dans_les_grandes_{bibliothèques}_de_{conservation”}_(Severi,₁₉₅₂_,_22).

4 _“Il_n’existe_plus,_peut-être,_un_laboratoire_de_science_sans_une_{bibliothèque}_spéciale”_(Severi,₁₉₅₂_,_22).

5 _Recent_works_(Settis,₁₉₈₅_{; Peiffer}_and_Seckel,₂₀₀₂_{; Felfe}_and_Wagner,₂₀₁₀_{; Warburg,}₂₀₁₂₎_have_discussed_how_maps_inform usaboutreadingpractices,scalesofvalues,etc.

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Ifthesourcesdonotallowustodevelopsuchlinesofinquiry,theyneverthelessprovideuswithalarge amountofinformationonhowthevariousaspectsoftheinternationalcirculationofjournalsandoffprints weredealtwithandactualised bytheactorsofSML:firstofallbyitsdirectors,butalsobyitsbenefactors, advisorsandusers.Soinwhatfollows,attentionwillbefocussedonthepoliciesofthefirstthreedirectorsof theSML,themathematiciansEnricoD’Ovidio,CorradoSegreandGinoFano,allofwhomweremembers oftheItalianschoolofalgebraicgeometry,withtheaimofestablishinghowtheyconceived‘their’library, initsdualnatureasaphysicalplaceandanabstract,mentalspace fortheconstructionandcirculationof knowledge.

Inparticular, tohave a better representation ofthe provenances ofthe journals (and offprints)of the SMLwewillmaptheacquisitionsofthevariousdirectors.Furthermorewewillshowthat,depending on circumstances,theseacquisitionsderivedfromexchangesandencountersofthedirectorsoftheSMLwith Italian andforeign mathematiciansbelonging to thesame disciplinarysector – algebraic geometry – or from their collaboration with specialistsin other domains,for example with the members of the Peano school,orfrompersonalrelationshipsthattheyestablishedwitheditors,publishinghousesandlibrariesin Italyandabroad,thankstotheirpositionontheeditorialcommitteesofacademicseriesandjournalssuch asAnnali diMatematica. Finally,the choices madeby D’Ovidio, Segre andFano topurchase a certain collectionortosubscribetoajournalwillbecontextualised inlightoftheinstitutionalrolestheyplayed andtheexchangesthattheyhadwiththeministryofpubliceducation,withlocalphilanthropicbodiesand withotherlocal,nationalandinternationalsocieties,academiesandprofessionalassociations.

2. TheSpecialMathematicsLibraryinTurin

In1883–84therewereeighteenlibrariesinTurin,twelveofwhichwerefullyaccessibletothepublic.6 ThiswastheperiodinwhichSegreandPeanocompletedtheiruniversitystudiesandenteredintoresearch, theperiod inwhichthey spenttheirdaysin thereadingrooms oftheBibliotecaNazionaleUniversitaria (National University Library) and of the library of the military academy, the only two institutions that possessedthecompletecollectionsoftheJournaldeLiouville and NouvellesAnnalesdemathématiques,

along with several less renowned series such as the Jornal de sciencias matemáticas e astronómicas.7

EquallyconstantwastheirattendanceattheinternationalbookshopRosenbergandSellier,towhichSegre turned,forexample,topurchaseFelixKlein’soffprintsandtreatises.8Thisbooksellerandpublisher,along withtheprintingcompanies FratelliBocca,RouxeFavale,Paravia,Utet andLoescher,dominated, soto speak,thePiedmonttradeofforeignbooksandjournals.

In March 1883, the SML was founded at the University of Turin, during the deanship of Enrico D’Ovidio.9 Awareofthe needtoexpand thepremises ofthe nationaluniversitylibrary, D’Ovidioasked theministryofeducationtoappointacommissiontoproposenewspacesadequatetohousetheincreasing assetsofthelibraryandtomeetusers’exigencies.Thecommission arrivedatthefollowing solution:the nationallibrarywastobetransferredanditsformerpremisesplacedatthedisposalofthreespeciallibraries dedicatedtothestudentsofthefacultiesoflaw,humanities,andsciences,aswellastheirrespectiveteacher trainingschools(scuoledimagistero).10

6 _Archive_of_the_Turin_Academy_of_Sciences:_Elenco_delle_biblioteche_di_Torino,_Torino,_Bona,_1884.

7 _UTo-ACS: _Segre’s_handwritten_lists_of _the_collections_of _journals_and _books_conserved_in _various_Turin _libraries,_entitled: Bibliotecamilitare;(Nonricevutinel1884);Altrerivistechesitrovanoall’Accademia;RaccolteitalianepossedutedalJahrbuch f.d.F.d.M.,ff.1r-5v,nn.

8 _See_Segre_to_Klein,₂₁_Aug._1884,_in_Luciano_and_{Roero (}₂₀₁₂_,_127).

9 _The _history _of _the _SML_is _recapped_in _Università_di _Torino, _Biblioteca _speciale _{matematica in}_Ministero _della _pubblica istruzione (1911,603),Ruffini (1899–1900,85–86),D’Ovidio (1884,7) andGiacardiandRoero (1999).

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TheSML wasentirely fundedby astate-controlled philanthropicbody,the Piedmontuniversity Con-sortium (Consorzio universitariopiemontese), andby the ministryof publicinstruction.11 Thefinancial commitment of the first institutionwas remarkable: it suffices to mention that in 1887 the Consortium alonegrantedalumpsumof1,500lireforthepurchaseofbooksandscientificinstruments(i.e.,geometric modelsinplaster,wireandmetal12),incontrastaspecialgovernmentsubsidyofjust500lire.13Moreover, twoimportantlegaciescontributedtotheconstitutionoftheSML:thefirstwasmadebythemathematician FrancescoFaàdiBruno(Garbolino,2004,609–626)andtheotherbyCamilloFerrati,anengineerwhoalso endowedthelibrarywithaperpetualannuityof200lire.GiuseppeBruno,headofthefacultyofsciences, alsodonatedsomevolumes.

TheSMLwasalwaysplacedunderthedirection ofthedeanoftheteachertrainingschool,ifthiswas a mathematician,or under the guidance ofa mathematician tobe electedby secret ballot.For almosta century thedirectionwas alwaysassignedtoalgebraicordifferentialgeometers:D’Ovidio(1883–1906), followedbySegre(1907–1924),Fano(1924–1938),andTerracini(1948–1964).14 Theonlyexceptionwas Francesco GiacomoTricomi, ananalyst,who heldthe leadershipinthe decade1938–48after Fanowas forcedtoabandonallhisinstitutional,researchandteachingassignmentsbecauseoftheraciallaws.

Proposals for acquisitions of bothnew books and journalswere submittedby thefaculty mathemati-cians andthenpresented bythe directortothe Consortiumortothe ministry,dependingon the costsof subscription fees,shippingandbinding.TheprecisereconstructionofacquisitionpoliciesoftheSML,15 aswell astheexaminationofthevariousrequeststobegin, suspendorcancel thesubscriptiontoa jour-nal,canbededucedbycross-referencingvarioustypesofdata,mostlyderivedfromarchivalsources,and throughcorrespondence,manuscriptsandtestimoniesbymembersoftheschoolsofSegreandPeano. Fur-thermore, asfarastheyears1930–1948areconcerned,theregisterofbooksellersprovidesthecomplete documentationof allpurchasesand subscriptionscommissionedfromnineteenlocal, Italianandforeign publishers.16

As stipulatedintheRegulations, theSMLsawtothecompilationofaprintedCatalogo,publishedby Paravia, whose entries were sorted according tothe provenance (donation or purchase). This obviously includedasectiondevotedtoPeriodici,17 inwhichjournalswereindexedalphabeticallyaccordingtotitle and/orthe name(s)oftheireditors-in-chief.18 ThusAlfredClebschandCarlGottfriedNeumannpointto

MathematischeAnnalen;AugustLeopoldCrelletotheJournalfürdiereineundangewandteMathematik;

Gösta Mittag-Lefflerstands forActa mathematica;James JosephSylvesterfor TheQuarterlyJournalof Pure and Applied Mathematics and the American Journal of Mathematics, etc. The Catalogo was not restrictedtolocalcirculation.SegresentittohisItalianco-workers,suchasFedericoAmodeoinNaples, towhomhewrote:

11 _Regolamento_per_la_Biblioteca_speciale_di_Matematica_nella_Facoltà_di_Scienze_MFN,_in_{Annuario 1889–90,}_427–430. 12 _On_the_history_of_the_collection_of_geometrical_models_in_SML_see_{Giacardi (}₂₀₀₃_).

13 _See_{Annuario 1887–88,}₁₆_and_SML_Archive:_Inventario_delle_proprietà_mobili _del_Consorzio_{Universitario}_esistenti_nella BibliotecaMatematicaesercizi1887,1888e1889.

14 _Literature_on_D’Ovidio,_Fano_and_Segre_is_very_rich._See_for_example_Conte_et_al.₍₂₀₁₃_),_{Fano (}₁₉₂₄_,₁₉₂₆_,_1932–33_,₁₉₃₄₎ andTerracini (1952).Howeverallthesesourcesfocusontheactivityofresearchandteachingofthesemathematiciansandmention theirexperiencesindirectingSMLonlypassingly.

15 _See _the _map _in _{https://cirmath}_.hypotheses_.org_/les_-documents_-de_-cirmath_/materiaux_{-supplementaires}_-pour-le_-volume -interplay-between-journals-at-various-scales-historia-mathematica-2018.

16 _SML_Archive:_Registro_dei_Librai_anni_1930–48.

17 _{Catalogo della}_Biblioteca_Speciale_di_Matematica_della_R._Università_di_Torino,_1891,_35–36;_1896,_87;_1905,_129.

18 _Double_indexing_by_title_and_name_of_{editor-in-chief}_was_only_adopted_in_the_first_publication_of_the_{Catalogo (1891),}_but_it_was abandonedinlatereditions.

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I will send you (in agreement with D’Ovidio) a copy of the Catalogo: [...] there are still countless important works we lack, and only with the passing of the years will our Library be somewhat complete.19

3. UnderD’Ovidio’sdirection

D’Ovidio’spositionasdirectoroftheSMLplayedaroleinhiscapacitytotrainhisprotégésforresearch andtoanimateaschoolthatwouldhaveshortlyreachedaninternationalführendeStellung underthe guid-anceofSegre (Fano, 1932–33,1934).However,even morethan derivingfrom theneeds ofhisresearch andteachingactivities,D’Ovidio’sdecisiontocreatea speciallibraryformathematicsmustbereadasa byproductofhispoliticalandinstitutionalcommitments(asdeanofthefacultyofsciencesfrom1879to 1881and from1894 to1907,and asrector ofthe universityfrom 1880to 1885), whichhad ledhimto promotethebuilding ofnewedificesandtoinauguratethepublicationoftheAnnuario dell’Università di Torino.

TheearlyyearsofD’Ovidio’sdirectorshiparethoseoftheactualphysicalerectionoftheSML.20 The firstpurchasesofperiodicalsdateto16January1885.Theoriginalendowment,whichcomprisedonlytwo journals–NouvellesAnnalesdeMathématiques andBulletindesSciencesMathématiquesetastronomiques

–wassoonenrichedby thelegaciesofFerratiandFaàdiBruno,bothofwhompassedawayin1888.As a consequence the collections (often incomplete) ofseventeen journals were acquired.In particular, the libraryreceived from Faà diBruno’s personallibrarythe fullsets ofActa Mathematica,Mathematische Annalen andJournalfürdiereineundangewandteMathematik.LessconsistentwasthelegacyofFerrati, whichincludedissuesofBelgianandRussianjournals.ThankstothesubsidiesprovidedbytheUniversity Consortiumandbyministerialgrants,substantialfundingforthefollowingyearswasallocatedtocomplete thesecollectionsandtotakeoutnewsubscriptions,forexampletoMonatsheftefürMathematikundPhysik.

D’Ovidio’ssubscriptionpolicygreatlyexpandedaround1892–96,arrivingatsubscriptionstothirty-six titles.21 Totheexistingcollectionswereadded thoseofferedby hiscolleagueGiuseppeBruno,in partic-ularsomevolumes ofArchivderMathematikundPhysik andJournaldeLiouville,which completedthe collections donated by Faà di Bruno. Subscriptions were also taken to newly-founded journals such as

Jahresbericht derDeutschen Mathematiker-Vereinigung and Revue semestrielle des publications mathé-matiques.Meanwhile,donationsofsinglevolumesorentirecollectionsofjournalstotheSMLcontinued, withimportantgifts arrivingfrombothindividualscholarsandinstitutions. Forexample,D’Ovidio him-selfandhiscolleagues, friendsandformerstudentsFrancescoDenza,Angelo GenocchiandMarioPieri donatedsevenseries,publishedbylocalandnationalacademies,andbyforeignsocietiesandinstitutions fromAustria,theUnitedStatesandVenezuela.

ThelastpublishedCatalogo oftheSMLprovidesapictureofthelibrary’sholdingsjustbeforeD’Ovidio leftitsdirection. In1905the libraryshelves heldforty-eight collections.22 Inaddition totheperiodicals mentionedpreviously,throughhispersonalrelationshipswithG.Eneströmandthroughhiscontactswith

19 _Segre_to_Amodeo,₂₄_Nov._1891:_{“T’invierò}_(d’accordo_con_D’Ovidio)_una_copia_del_Catalogo:_[...]_sono_ancora_innumerevoli leopereimportantichecimancano,esolocoll’andardegliannilanostraBibliotecapotràesserunpo’complete”(Palladinoand Palladino,2006,186).

20 _SML_Archive:_Consorzio_{Universitario}_Piemontese._Inventario_delle_proprietà_mobili_esistenti_nella_Biblioteca_Matematica acquistatedal1.4.1881al31.3.1883;esercizi1883,1884,1885,1886,1890,1891.

21 _SML_Archive:_Consorzio_{Universitario}_Piemontese._Prospetto_delle_variazioni_in_aumento_o_diminuzione_degli_oggetti_esistenti nella Scuoladi Magisterodal 1.1.–31.12.1892;1.1–31.12.1893; 1.1–31.12.1894;1.1–31.12.1895;1.1–31.12.1896; Ministero dellaPI. Prospettodellevariazioniin aumento odiminuzionedegli oggettiesistential 30.6.1888nellaScuoladi Magistero, 1.7.–31.12.1888;1.1–30.6.1891;1.7–31.12.1890;1.7–31.12.1892.

22 _SML_Archive:_Consorzio_{Universitario}_Piemontese._Prospetto_delle_variazioni_in_aumento_o_diminuzione_degli_oggetti_esistenti nellaScuoladiMagisterodiscienzematematicheavvenutedal1.1–31.12.1897;1.1–31.12.1898;1.1–31.12.1899;1.1–31.12.1900; 1.1–31.12.1901;1.1–31.12.1902;1.1–31.12.1903;1.1–31.12.1904;1.1–31.12.1905;1.1–31.12.1906;1.1–31.12.1907;Prospetti

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thelibraryoftheAmericanMathematicalSociety,hehadsignedupforBibliothecamathematica and Trans-actions oftheAmericanMathematicalSociety.Meanwhile,thelibraryhadbegunsubscriptions,fromthe firstissue,tojournalssuchasL’Enseignementmathématique,23 consideredbyD’Ovidioasindispensable forprospectiveteachers,andMonatsheftefürMathematikundPhysik,co-directedbyoneofhispreferred interlocutors,thegeometerEmilWeyr.

WithregardtothepurchasingpolicyandthegeneralfeaturesofD’Ovidio’sdirection,weshouldpoint outtwosignificantcharacteristics.Firstofall,hispolicyconsideredmostly(evenalmostexclusively) math-ematicaljournalsratherthanseriesofAtti andMemorie producedby academies.Inactualfact,D’Ovidio andthemathematiciansofhisgenerationpreferredtorelyonthissecondcategoryofperiodicalsfortheir activity, but becauseall ofthem were affiliatedwith the Turin Academy ofSciences,they enjoyed free access to the series published by societiesall overthe world, which were stocked inthe Academy’s li-brary. Theycould thereforebrowse thesecollections there,without buying themfor theSML. Asfar as their pupils were concerned,although it is truethat they generallydid not have access tothe library of theAcademyofSciences,theywereabletoreadintheNationalUniversityLibrarytheseriesofAtti and Memorie published by the most importantItalian andforeign scientific societies, which werenot atthe SML.

ThisinterchangebetweentheSMLanditssisterlibraries,thissortof‘permeability’intheiruseand man-agement,iswellillustratedinthecaseofActamathematica,whosefirstissuewaspresentedbyD’Ovidio totheAcademyofScienceson14January1883[IML:GenocchitoMittag-Leffler,15Jan.1883,f. 1r].On thisoccasion,applaudingMittag-Leffler’snobleenterprise,hewrotetohisfriend:

I hope that the Library of the Academy will soon subscribe to Acta. The University library [i.e., the SML] has already taken its subscription.24

One yearlater,D’OvidioinformedhisSwedishcolleaguethattheAcademy’slibraryhadalsosubscribed toActa,concluding:

If you prefer to exchange publications with the Library of the Academy, you have only to tell me and I will propose such solution to the Board of Directors.25

TheseconddistinctivefeatureofD’Ovidio’sdirectionconcernsthelinkbetweentheSMLandtheteacher trainingschool,directedbyD’Ovidiohimselffrom1883to1907.Althoughthislinkwasofficiallydeclared inordertoobtainfinancialsupportfromauthorities,itappearstohavebeenratherfragile,sincefromthe beginning D’Ovidio’schoiceofwhichbooksandjournalstobuyfortheSMLwasnotdeterminedby the demands of prospective teachers,given the requests for journals like Acta mathematica. This is clearer stillwhenonecomparesthepatrimonyoftheSMLwiththatofthecirculatinglibraryoftheAssociazione Mathesis,thefirstItaliansocietyformathematicsteachers,foundedinTurinin1896.D’Ovidio,however, was well aware of thisfact and, looking back at his yearsin the service of the SML,he observed that althoughthelibraryhadsustainedstudentsenrolledintheteachertrainingschool,ithadaboveallbenefited scholars,professorsandlecturers,

Variazioniinventario1900–02;MinisterodellaPI.Prospettodellevariazioniinaumentoodiminuzionedeglioggettiavvenutedal 1.7-31.12.1900;1.1–30.6.1901;1.7–31.12.1901,1.1–30.6.1902;1.7–31.12.1904;1.1–31.12.1919.

23 _On_{l’Enseignement}_{mathématique,}_see_the_paper_by_Gispert_in_this_issue.

24 _“La_{Bibliothèque}_de_{l’Académie}_ne_tardera,_{j’éspère,}_à_s’abboner_aux_Acta._Celle_de_{l’Université}_a_déjà_pris_son_{abonnement”} [IML:D’OvidiotoMittag-Leffler,10Apr.1883,fols.1v-2r].

25 _“Si_vous_préférez_d’entrer_en_échange_de_publications_avec_elle,_vous_n’avez_qu’à_me_le_dire,_et_je_le_proposerai_au_Conseil d’administration”[IML:D’OvidiotoMittag-Leffler,18Apr.1885,fol.2v].

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putting at their disposal expensive works, scientific journals, voluminous treatises and models, and thus giving them the chance to follow the swift and vast development of mathematical literature in Italy and abroad.26

ExaminingthelegacyoftheSMLunderD’Ovidio’sdirection,wealsorecognise aquitepreciseframework ofthepracticesofacculturationandsharedresearchthatwasestablishedintheschoolofalgebraicgeometry directedbySegreandintheschooloflogicguidedbyPeano.Ingeneralterms,wecanstatethatsince1898, maneuveringbetweentheSML,thenationaluniversitylibrary,thelibraryoftheTurinAcademyofSciences andthelibraryoftheSocietàdicultura,27themembersofbothschoolshadattheirdisposalallthejournals thattheyusedforscientificworkandteachingandthroughwhichtheycirculatedtheirresults.

ForPeano andhis co-workers, evidenceofthis canbeobtained startingfrom the references listedin the five editions ofthe Formulario, the collective text thatrepresents themagna carta ofthis school.28 Thesereferencesandquotationswereconstructedbybrowsingforty-twocontemporaryjournalsfromten different nations. Based on a common culture and enhanced through a body ofreadings shared by the Peanians,thesereferences andquotationswere collectedandcommenteduponcollectivelyin therooms of the SML.29 Almost all the journals used for compiling the Formulario were held in the SML. The fewmissingserieswereconsultedatthenationaluniversitylibrary(Revuegénéraledessciencespureset appliquées,Revuedemétaphysiqueetdemorale),orbelongedeithertoPeano’spersonallibrary(Bulletin

del’AcadémiedesSciencesdeSt.Petersbourg,PraceMatematyczno-fiziczne,TidsskriftforMathematik),

ortothelibraryheldbytheRivistadiMatematica directedbyPeano,whichwasplacedatthedisposalof theco-authorsoftheFormulario.30

Anexceptionalamountofinformationabout theperiodicalsreadandconsultedregularlybythe mem-bers of the Italian school of algebraic geometry can be deduced from Segre’s Resoconti di Scritti letti

(Reportsofworksread) andfromhis personalbibliographicSchedario, a card indexconsistingofmore than500hand-writtenfiles,whichannotatemathematicalpaperspublishedin151journals,academic se-ries,bulletinsofsocieties,andjournalsforteachersandstudents.Thiscardindex,whichSegreconstantly updatedduringhisentirelife,31 includeshisreadingsingeometry(inallitsfacets)aswellasinanalysis, mathematicalphysics,foundationsofmathematics,elementarymathematicsfromanadvancedstandpoint andmathematicseducation.Inotherwords,thesecardsrecordalltheworksthatSegreusedinhisfamous coursesofhighergeometryandinhislecturesattheteachertrainingschool.Throughtheanalysisof Seg-re’sSchedario manymapscanbederived:ingeographicalterms,itshowsreadingsthatrangethrough20 specialistjournals,8journalsforteachersandteaching,32serieseditedbyacademiesand56journals

en-26 _“Ai_quali_rende_accessibili_opere_di_alto_prezzo,_giornali_scientifici,_voluminosi_trattati_e_modelli,_ponendoli_eziandio_in_grado_di seguireilrapidoedampiosvolgersidellabibliografiamatematicainItaliaefuori”[Bibliotecaspecialematematica,inAnnuario

1899–1900,p. 86].

27 _On_the_role_of_both_the_library_and_the_circulating_library_owned_by_the_Società_di_Cultura,_see_{Bergami (}₁₉₇₉_,_349,_{354) and} Societàdi Cultura (1927).

28 _{Peano (}₁₈₉₉_, _189), _{Peano (}₁₉₀₁_, _217–218), _{Peano (}₁₉₀₃_, _390–392), _{Peano (}₁₉₀₈_, _pp. _{XXII–XXIII) and,} _in _APVT, _the manuscriptbyPeano,insertedinhiscopyofFormularioMathematico,BibliographiadeLogicaMathematicapost1908,XIV. 29 _See _the_notebooks _by_Vacca_I _Adversaria_Mathematica_Dr._G._Vacca,_fols._2r,_2v,_9r,_15r,_28v,_62v,_69r,_113r;_Adversaria Matematica1905–1916–1922–1944–1946,fols.4v,9v.

30 _The_holdings_belonging_to_Peano’s_library_and_to_that_of_the_Rivista_di_{Matematica met}_different_fates._Some_of_the_series_kept byPeanoinhispersonallibraryweregiventotheSMLoveraperiodfrom1908to1919.Incontrast,thelibraryoftheRivistadi Matematica,andinparticularitsrichmiscellanea of2,683offprints,wasdonatedbyPeanototheSMLinJune1928(seeASUT:

Patrimonio,Recapitolazioneperiodo16ottobre1927–31ottobre1928,inventorynos.2252,2253,2272)andwasunfortunately completelydestroyedin 1942.AfterPeano’sdeath, theremainingpartofhismathematicallibrary,including27collectionsof journals,wassoldtoMilanUniversity.SeeLuciano (2008,vol. 2,133–172).

31 _{Fano (}₁₉₂₄_,_222)._The_handwritten_cards_that_make_up_his_personal_Card_Index_are_stored_in_SML,_Segre_Archive._See_Giacardi andVaretto(2000,367–368),Conteetal.(2013,96–99).

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dorsedbyscientificsocietiesanduniversities,publishedinforty-fivedifferentpublishingcentres.Fromthe verybeginningofthetwentiethcentury,SegrewasabletofindintheSMLfouroutoftenofthejournals and series quoted in his card index and neededfor his research andteaching. Froma pluralityof hints scatteredincorrespondenceamongthemembersoftheschoolofalgebraicgeometry,onecaneasilyinfer thatSegre’sdisciplessharedthereadingsfiledbytheirleaderSegreinhisSchedario.However,thereisno evidenceofpracticesofcollectivereadingsbythisschoolintheroomsoftheSML.

Inadditiontobeingatirelessreader,32SegrewasalsoveryactiveincirculatingworksbyItalianand for-eignauthorsthroughhisnetworkofprotégés,inaskingforinformationonhowtobuybooks,lithographs andjournals,andincommentingwithhisteamonnewreleasesinliterature.Itwasmainlywithhisprotégés Guido CastelnuovoandGinoFanothatSegrediscussed whichtextsweremostrelevanttotheir research program and,consequently,whichbooks andjournalsto askD’Ovidiotopurchase for theSML. Aswe candeducefromhiscorrespondence,Segre(morethanD’Ovidio)alsocoordinatedtheloanandexchange of excerpts and volumes between the SML andlibraries inother cities. For example, he asked Castel-nuovo:

Give me the [offprint of the] Note by Hilbert and Hurwitz (the Library of the teacher training school [SML] already has it in the Acta mathematica, I think). As for the other two papers by Hilbert, the Library and I already have them in the Mathematische Annalen: so you can donate them [i.e. their offprints] to some Roman geometer.33

Again,heurgedCastelnuovotoreturnanoffprinthehadborrowed:

If you don’t need Lüroth’s memoir any more, at least for now, the Library of the teacher training school would like it back.34

ThedimensionofthecorpusofjournalsthatthetwoTurineseresearchschoolsextensivelyusedfortheir activitygrowsevenlargerifweconsiderthereadingscarriedoutbysome‘bridgefigures’betweenthetwo groups,suchasMarioPieri,BeppoLevi,AlessandroPadoa,EmilioArtomandAlessandroTerracini.All ofthesescholarscompletedtheirstudiesincontactwithSegreandPeanoandinheritedthelegacyofboth masters.Theyproducedworksthatcrossedbetweenthebordersofthetwoschools,rangingfromalgebraic geometry(manyofthemcompletedtheirdegreethesesunderSegre’sadvisementandweretrainedtodo re-searchinthisfield)tostudiesinfoundationsofmathematics,frommathematicallogictoelementary mathe-maticsfromahigherstandpoint.Suchawiderangeofculturalinterestsiswellreflectedinthecollectionsof journalsthattheyusedtoconsultintheSML.Asingleexamplewillsuffice:EmilioArtom,aformerpupil ofD’Ovidio,SegreandPeano,thenatraineeattheteachertrainingschoolunderSegre’sadvisement,and fi-nallyateacherofmathematicsinsecondaryschools,wasafrequentvisitorofthereadingroomsoftheSML, wherehe‘devoured’thevolumesofMathematischeAnnalen andNouvellesAnnalesdemathématiques.

32 _At_the_time_of_his_death,_Segre’s_personal_library_comprised_thirteen_collections_of_journals_and_an_immense_{miscellanea of} offprints.ThislibrarywasboughtbyGuidoToja,anengineerandpractitionerofactuarialmathematics,andthengivenbyhisheirs totheUniversityofFlorencein1933.SeeLucianoandRoero (2016,86–100).

33 _“Regala_a_me_la_Nota_di_Hilbert_e_Hurwitz_(la_Biblioteca_di_Magistero_l’ha_già_negli_Acta_mathematica,_credo)._Quanto_alle_altre duediHilbert,laBibliotecaedioleabbiamogiàneiMathematischeAnnalen:sicchépuoiregalarleaqualchegeometraromano” [ANLRome:SegretoCastelnuovo,12Jan.1892].SeealsoANL-Volterra,SegretoVolterra,9Dec.1900.

34 _“Se_la_memoria_Lüroth_non_ti_occorresse_più,_almeno_per_ora,_la_Biblioteca_di_magistero_la_{riprenderebbe”}_[ANL_Rome:_Segre toCastelnuovo,7Dec.1893].

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4. IntheshadowoftheGöttingenLesezimmer

Segre tookoverthe managementoftheSML in1907whenD’Ovidioleft thepositionofdean ofthe facultyofsciences(Fano,1932–33,448–449;Annuario,1923–24,55).HestrengthenedD’Ovidio’spolicy, going as far as allocating more than half of the funds received by the Consortium and the ministry to thesubscriptionandbindingofperiodicals.TotheItalianandforeignjournalsalreadyreceived,headded newFrenchtitles,forexampleBulletindelaSociétémathématiquedeFrance andBulletinastronomique.

Concurrently,based on his contactswithFelix Klein,WaltherLietzmann andwiththe publishing house B.G.Teubner,hebegantoordervariousserieseditedinGermany,includingAbhandlungenzurGeschichte dermathematischenWissenschaften,AbhandlungenüberdenmathematischenUnterrichtinDeutschland

andMathematisch-physikalischeBibliothek.

Nevertheless, froma strictlyquantitativepoint ofview,Segre basicallyworked incontinuitywith his predecessorD’Ovidio.Thusitisnotsurprisingthatduringhisdirectorshiptherewerefewnew subscrip-tions,generally originatingfromthe internationalpartnershipscreated by Segrewith foreigncolleagues. Thisisthecase,forexample,forthesubscriptionstoBulletin andTransactionsoftheAmerican mathemat-icalsociety,whichweresignedafterSegre’smeetingswithJulianCoolidgeandErnestWilczynskyatthe thirdInternationalCongressofMathematiciansinHeidelberg,inAugust1904.Analogously,thefactthat Segre devoted46 liretothepurchase oftheentire collectionofKlassikerder exactenWissenschaften in

1907,isindicativeofhisscientificrelationshipswithWilhelmOstwald.35

IncontrasttoD’Ovidio,SegreestablishedacloserlinkbetweentheSMLandtheteachertrainingschool, ofwhichhewasdirectorfrom1916to1921.JustasSegre’scoursesofhighergeometrywerecharacterised byanauthenticsupranationalstamp,36 sotoowerehislecturesattheteachertrainingschool(1887–1891, 1907–1921).Asamatteroffact,referenceslistedinSegre’sSchedario andthencopiedinhisQuaderni37

perfectlymatchboththetextsthathepurchasedandthejournalsandseriestowhichhesubscribedforthe SML.TheanalysisofreferencestojournalsscatteredintheseNotebooksclearlyshowsthephilo-Germanic leanings of his mathematical culture, and in particular the influence exerted on him by his ‘masters’ (maestri),includingFelixKleinandLeopoldKronecker.Infact,amongthejournalsthatSegre preferen-tiallysuggestedtohisstudentsofhighergeometry,MathematischeAnnalen clearlyemerges,followedby

ArchivderMathematikundPhysik andJournalfürdiereineundangewandteMathematik.Alongwiththese journals,Segreshowed–suchasD’Ovidioandothercolleaguesofthe‘oldguard’ofItalianmathematics – a decisive preference for series published by academies and scientific societies, starting with Jahres-bericht derDeutschen Mathematiker Vereinigung.As far asthe trainingof teachersis concerned,Segre consideredonlyfewforeignjournalsasreferencesformathematicseducation:L’Enseignement mathéma-tique,andtheaforementioned seriesAbhandlungenüberdenmathematischenUnterrichtinDeutschland

andMathematisch-physikalischeBibliothek.

However,the most original feature ofSegre’s direction was his conception for how the SMLshould functionandbeutilised.Firstofall,hetransformeditintoa‘presencelibrary’,aspaceforresearch,where hecouldworkwithhisgraduatesanddisciples,withtextsanddocumentsathand.Asaconsequence,under hisdirectiontheSMLpassedfrom4,000visitsandatotalof5,200worksavailableforconsultationon-site and330receivedonloan,toapeakof7500accesses,andatotalof10,300worksavailableforconsultation

35 _Ministero_della_PI._Prospetto_delle_variazioni_in_aumento_o_diminuzione_degli_oggetti_avvenute_dal_1.1.1903_al_31.12.1919,_nos. 93and486.

36 _Coolidge_recalled_Segre’s_first_lesson,_which_was_opened_by_a_list_of_some_twenty_papers_in_four_different_languages_(Coolidge, 1904,13).

37 _Each_summer_Segre_carefully_developed_the_topics_of_the_course_that_he_would_teach_the_following_autumn._The_forty_handwritten NotebooksofSegre’suniversitylecturesareconservedinSMLanddigitalisedinGiacardi (2013).

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on-site,and465receivedonloan.Asclearlyemergesfromthevisitors’logs,38theSML’sfunctionevolved fromoneofarepositorylibrarytothatofaplacewheretheactivitiesofreadingandconsultingdefinitely prevailedoverthatoflending.

Concerning thefunctionand useofthe SML,FelixKlein’s influence on Segre isundeniable. Infact, building onhisexperiencegainedduringhistraveltoGermany(in1891), Segreaimedatadaptingtothe Turin SML the Lesezimmer model devised by Klein for the famous institute library in Göttingen. The combinationofmathematicalresourcesavailableinthatLesezimmer wasunique:

These included an outstanding collection of mathematical models and instruments and the finest mathemat-ics library in Germany. One of its treasures was a collection of offprints that Klein made available, and in which one ‘seldom searched for anything in vain’. The Göttingen mathematics library . . . was a so-called

Präsenzbibliothek, meaning a non-circulating collection with open shelves. This type of library, an

innova-tion of Klein’s that is now quite common in Germany, was designed not only for the convenience it provided but also for the promotion of informal contacts within the Göttingen mathematical community (Rowe, 1989, 202).39

Many Italianscholars,includingErnesto Pascal(anItalianstudentinGöttingenin1888) andGinoFano (a post-doctoralfellowtherein1893)hadillustratedindetailthefeaturesoftheLesezimmer:

I was given by Klein my place with a drawer in the Lesezimmer, that is, in a reading room for mathemati-cians; found there are all the mathematical journals and some forty volumes of handwritten lectures by Klein.40

Those who are enrolled in the Seminar can also make use, if they wish, of the reading room

(Mathe-matisches Lesezimmer) and its library. The aim of this institution is to make available to students above all those books and journals that it is most frequently necessary to consult; and precisely in order to not betray this purpose and to constantly place everything at the disposal of all, it is strictly forbidden to issue books and journals on loan. Those who wish to take some volume home can contact the General Library (Universitätsbibliothek) . . . Among the new collections, a major role is played by the journals, especially German and French (of Italian periodicals, unfortunately, not a single one), for a total value of 300 marks a year.41

Mostlikelyinfluencedbyhisownrecollectionsaswellasthoseofhisdisciples,Segrefullyacknowledged Klein’slegacyinhisdirectionoftheTurinlibrary(Fano,1924,225–226;1926,8–9).He,infact,extended theopeninghoursandimprovedthereadingconditionsforstudentsandrecentgraduates.TheSML,which sinceitsfoundationhadadoptedtheaccessandconditionsofusetypicalofconservationlibraries(opening hourslimitedtoschooldaysonly,officehoursforloans,etc.),openeditsreadingroomsnotonlytostudents andgraduatesofthefacultyofsciences,butalsotoallthosescholarswhomthedirectorgrantedaccessand

38 _See _{Annuario 1906–07,} _172; _1907–08, _157; _1908–09, _185; _1909–10, _147; _1910–11, _216; _1911–12, _176;_1912–13, _179; 1913–14,175;1914–15,165;1915–16,186.

39 _See_also_{Frewer (}₁₉₈₅_).

40 _Pascal_to_Amodeo,₂₆_Nov._1888,_in_Palladino_and_{Palladino (}₂₀₀₆_,_{p. 392):}_Ho_avuto_dal_Klein_il_mio_posto_col_cassetto_nella Lesezimmercioèinunasaladiletturaperimatematici;visonoivituttiigiornalimatematici,epoiunaquarantinadivolumidi tuttelelezionimanoscrittediKlein.

41 _“Coloro_che_sono_ascritti_al_Seminario_possono_anche_usufruire,_volendolo,_della_Sala_di_lettura_{(Mathematisches}_Lesezimmer) erelativabiblioteca.Scopodiquestaistituzioneèdimettereadisposizionedeglistudentisoprattuttoqueilibrieperiodicichepiù frequentementeoccorrediconsultare;eappuntopernonvenirmenoaquestoscopoelasciaresempretuttoadisposizioneditutti, èassolutamenteproibitodarneilibriinprestito.Chidesideraavereacasaqualchevolumepuòrivolgersiallabibliotecagenerale (Universitätsbibliothek). . .Efrainuoviacquistihannolargaparteancheiperiodici,specialmentetedeschiefrancesi(diitaliani, sgraziatamente,nessuno!)perunvalorecomplessivodi300marchiall’anno”(Fano,1894,185).

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thecovetedkeyofthelibrary.42 Segrealsopersonallyassembledandputatreaders’disposalacollection oflithographedlecturenotesbyKlein,AdolphHurwitz,HeinrichWeber,andmanyothers,aswellasarich miscellaneaofoffprints.

Thankstothisenlightenedmodeloffunctioning,thereputationoftheSMLcrossednationalbordersand helpedputTurinonthemapofinternationalcirculationoffellowsandscholars.ManyofSegre’sAmerican studentsrecalledtheatmosphereofthisplacewithenthusiasmandnostalgia.Inparticular,Coolidge con-sideredtheexistenceofsuchalibrarytobeoneofthemainfactorsrecommendingTurinasadestination forAmericanmathematicianslookingforastudysojournabroad:

The requirements for such studies [abroad] are libraries, lectures, and personal help. Where are they best supplied? . . . In Paris the Bibliothèque nationale is difficult to access; the library of the Sorbonne is over-crowded, and open only a limited number of hours a day; the smaller libraries, like that of the École normale, are ill supplied with funds. . . . In Turin there is an excellent mathematical library, opened twice daily, from which with the professor’s permission students may withdraw what books they will. The large National Library is in the university building, and is open all day to whoever wishes to enter. Lastly, the privilege is sometimes granted to use the fine library of the Royal Academy of Science, a delightful place, which re-joices especially in possessing the proceedings of all imaginable learned societies. I doubt whether anything corresponding to this last collection could be found in those universities, which are in the smaller cities; duplicates of the two former would certainly exist in any of the larger Italian universities (Coolidge, 1904, 12–13).

Segre’s directorship oftheSML isjustonefacet ofhis intenseactivityinthe years1907–1924.Infact, duringthesameperiod,hewasSecretaryoftheclassofsciencesoftheTurinAcademyand,from1904 on-wards,hewasontheeditorialboardofAnnalidiMatematicapuraedapplicata.Inboththeseroles,Segre participatedinthe rapidchangestakingplaceinthetwentieth-centuryworldofItalianmathematics pub-lishing;heexperiencedthedeclineofmanyacademiccollectionsandtheparallelprocessofspecialisation andinternationalisationofmostoftheleadingjournals.Moreover,asco-editorofAnnali,Segreobtained andmadeavailabletotheSMLoffprintsandexcerptsfromallovertheworld,inadditiontotheissuesof theJahrbuchüberdieFortschrittederMathematik,MonatsheftefürMathematikundPhysik,andAnnales del’Écolenormalesupérieure,43whichhereceivedinexchangeforAnnali.

5. Waryears

Between 1916 and 1919 the SML experienced a period of significant decline in terms of supply of international journals, a trend that can besurely explained by events related to the First World War.44 Inthis periodalmostall subscriptions wereeventuallysuspended.Thelibrary continuedtoreceive only

L’Enseignement mathématique,Bulletindessciencesmathématiques,L’intermédiairedesmathematiciens

and Acta mathematica. Inaddition to war,another factor was the crisis ofthe teacher training schools, which would be suppressed in 1921.45 That event affected the grants allocated by the Consortiumand theministry,which neverthelesscontinuedtorepresentthe onlyfinancinginstitutions oftheSMLinthe decadesthatfollowed.

42 _Such_decisions_were_formally_acknowledged_only_in₁₉₂₃_through_the_approval_of_a_new_Regolarmento_interno,_see_Annuario, 1922–23,212–215.

43 _See_Pincherle_to_Segre,₁₅_May₁₉₂₃_and₃_Nov._1923,_in_Luciano_and_{Roero (}₂₀₁₆_,_27–31,_82–84).

44 _On_the_effects_of_WWI_on_mathematical_journals_publishing_and_{international}_{relationships}_see_also_the_papers_of_Gispert_and ofTazzioliinthisissue.

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In thesecircumstances andin all his institutional roles, Segremade everypossible effortto maintain internationalrelationships.Forexample,asformersecretaryoftheclassofsciencesoftheTurinAcademy, heaskedthattheshippingofAtti andMemorie tohostileorneutralcountriesbecontinued.46 Similarly,as deanofthefacultyofsciencesanddirectoroftheSML,heactivelyworkedtohelpstudentsandlecturers who wereenlistedinthemilitarytoobtainloansfromtheSMLofbooksandjournalsnecessaryfortheir examinationsorgraduationtheses.47 Further,SegreinsistedthattheSMLshouldgoonreceivingGerman publications,astheywere‘essentialforourscientificinstitutes’,despitetheprohibitionofimportsofgoods and commodities (booksand journals included) coming from theCentral Powers.48 Segre tried to fight this sanction,without success, inopposition to someinterventionistmembers ofhis school. Thisstance even caused Segre to be branded pro-German and exposed him to the criticism of foreign and Italian mathematiciansattheoutbreakofthewar,whenItalydidnotjoinGermanyandAustria–Hungary,although sidingwiththeTripleAlliance(MazliakandTazzioli,2009,23;AubinandGoldstein,2014,189–192).

TheinternationalrelationshipsofSegretookonanewimpulseaftertheendofthewar.Herevivedhis linkswithmathematiciansfromtheformerCentralPowers,inparticularwithHilbertandKlein(Mazliak andTazzioli,2009,23;AubinandGoldstein,2014,189–192),andinthemeantimehedevotedgreatefforts toreconstructingthe networkofexchangesneededby theSML.DespiteassistancefromtheRockefeller Foundation,49 thepost-wareconomiccrisisanditsaftermathforcedtheSMLtosuspend some subscrip-tions. In compensation, important donations arrivedin 1919 fromPeano (Prace Matematyczno-fiziczne, Wiadomosci Matematizne,Jornal descienciasmathematicas e astronomicas,Mathesis),fromD’Ovidio, ontheoccasionofhisscientificjubileein1918,andfromthemathematicalphysicistCarloSomigliana(in particularmanyissuesofJapanesejournals).However,onlyin1922,withaspecialbudgetallowance,was SegreabletofillthegapsthatSMLhadaccumulatedininternationalcollectionsduringthewaryears.50

Duringthelastphaseofhisdirection,Segrealsomadenoticeableeffortsinthecampaignofinternational mobilisationforthesurvivalofAnnalidiMatematica (LucianoandRoero,2016,131–132,195–207).To facetheseriouseconomicstateexperiencedbythejournal,SegreaskedtheAmericansforhelp,expressing hisconcerntoVirgilSnyder,inTurinatthetimeofastudysojourn.ThroughtheBulletinoftheAmerican Mathematical Society,Snyder sent out aninvitation to his American colleagues,which was echoed by foreign disciples andsupporters ofSegre. Theexcellentresults ofthissubscription campaignsucceeded inavoidingtheclosureofAnnali andindirectlybenefitedtheSMLtoo,by reactivatingtheendowmentof internationaljournalsthatitreceivedthroughSegreinexchangeforAnnali.

Finally,SegrerequestedhisfriendsandcorrespondentstoallowtheSMLtoreceiveatareasonableprice thejournalseditedbytheAmericanMathematicalSocietyandActamathematica.Forexample,in1921he wrotetoMittag-Leffler:

The mathematical Library of the Faculty of Sciences, which I direct, has always subscribed (indirectly through local booksellers) to Acta Mathematica. But in recent times the exchange rate of your money (as well as those of England, Switzerland, etc.) with Italian paper money has increased to such a level that we had to suspend the subscription a year ago, hoping to see the exchange rate later lowered, and of being able to buy at cheaper prices the missing volumes. Vain hope! Now, I do not want our professors and students

46 _See,_in_the_Archive_of_the_Turin_Academy_of_Sciences,_the_folder_IST.10.2.5_Norme_per_gli_scambi_di_{pubblicazioni}_e_registri indirizzari (1784–1976).Seealso:“Seulementaujourd’huij’aipuavoiruneréponseàvotrequestion.Onm’aditqueletome64 desMemorievousaétéenvoyéenjuillet1914,etletome65enjuillet1916:touslesdeuxaumoyendeséchangesinternationaux. Maintenantonm’apromisdevousenenvoyerunnouvelexemplaire.Aprèsla1èrePartiedut.66nousn’avonspluspupublierles

Memorie,maisseulementlesAtti”[IML:SegretoMittag-Leffler,27Feb.1920]. 47 _{ANL-Volterra,}_Segre_to_Volterra,₁₃_Jan._1917.

48 _Segre_to_the_dean_of_the_Turin_University,₂₅_Feb.₁₉₁₆_in_Giacardi_and_{Roero (}₁₉₉₉_,_444). 49 _On_the_Rockefeller_{Foundation’s}_support_of_journals_publishing_see_{Siegmund-Schultze (}₂₀₀₁_). 50 _ASUT:_{Corrispondenza}_–_{Carteggio 1926}_1.4.

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to be unable to find the latest volumes of your glorious journal in our library! But what can I do? Some colleagues have informed me that for some Swiss, English and American scientific journals, the publishers have agreed to offer favourable terms: that is to say, the payment of the subscription could be made in Italian lire, or at least in paper francs, instead of gold francs, or sterlings, etc.51

6. TheSpecialMathematicsLibrarybetweeninternationalistidealsandnationalisticideologies

FollowingSegre’sdeathin1924,theSML,whichbythattimecounted39,377booksandmanuscripts,52 wasfirstentrustedforabriefperiodtoCarloSomigliana,deanofthefacultyofsciences,andafterwards, forayear,toadiscipleofPeano,TommasoBoggio.On7November1925,BoggiowassucceededbyGino Fano,whowouldremainasdirectoruntiltheautumnof1938.53

TheroleplayedbySomiglianaandBoggiowasbasicallyoneofmaintainingthestatusquo.Overabout two years, the SML experienced a modest increase: according to the final report on inventory changes, approvedby theMinistryin1926,ithadpurchased1,705newbooksandperiodicals,andnoinstruments ormodels.54

WithFano,anewperiodinthehistoryoftheSMLbegan.Firstofall,whiletheinternationaldrive of the librarydatedbackto theyears ofitscreation,the truestrengthening ofitscultural cosmopolitanism occurredinthistime,andmirroredthenewdirector’spersonality.UnlikehisMaestro Segre,whohadleft TurinonlytosojourninGermanyandinGermanspeakingSwitzerland,FanohadtravelledacrossEurope andbeyond,enteringintocontact withscientific centresworldwide, andintensifyingtheexchanges with theso-called‘peripheries’.

ThemostevidentsignoftheinternationalistimpactofFanoontheSMListheactivationofdozensof new subscriptionsto foreign journals, including the Russian Recueil mathématique dela Société Math-ématique deMoscou,the SwedishArchiv forMathematik,Astronomi och Fysik,thePolish Fundamenta Mathematicae andtheRumanianMathematicaCluj.55 Fanowaspersonallyincontactwiththeeditorsor theauthorsofthemajorityofthesejournals.Asingleexample willsuffice:theSMLreceivedtheRevista

publishedbythefacultyofsciencesoftheUniversidadMayorofSanMarcosinLima,thankstoFano’s rela-tionshipswithAlfredRosenblat,whohadspentyearsstudyinginItalyattheschoolofalgebraicgeometry, beforebeinginvitedasvisitingprofessorinPeru.56

51 _“La_Biblioteca_matematica_della_Facoltà_di_Scienze,_que_je_dirige,_a_toujours_été_abonnée_{(indirectement}_par_des_libraires_d’ici) auxActaMathematica.Maisdanscesdernierstempslechangedevotremonnaie(commedecellesd’Angleterre,Suisse,etc.)en papieritalien,s’estélevédetellesortequenousavonsdû,ilyauneannée,suspendrel’abonnement,dansl’espoirdevoirplustard s’abaisserlechange,etdepouvoiracheteràmeilleursfraislestomesquivenaientàmanquer.Vainespoir!Or,jeneveuxpasque dansnotreBibliothèquenosprofesseursetnosétudiantsnepuissenttrouverlesdernierstomesdevotresiglorieuxjournal!Mais commentfaire?Descollèguesm’ontinforméquepourcertainsjournauxscientifiquessuisses,anglais,américains,leséditeursont acceptédefairedesconditionsdefaveur:c’est-à-direquelepaiementduprixd’abonnementsoitfaitenlireitaliennes,oudumoins enfrancspapier,aulieudefrancsor,ousterlines,etc.”[IML:SegretoMittag-Leffler,10Dec.1921].SeealsoIML:Mittag-Leffler toSegre[1921,ff.1r-2v].

52 _ASUT: _Processo_di _consegna _dei _beni_mobili _di _proprietà _dello_Stato_esistenti _nella_Biblioteca _Matematica_dal _sig._prof. SomiglianaaBoggio.

53 _ASUT:_{Corrispondenza}_–_{Carteggio 1926}_1.4.

54 _ASUT:_Processo_di_consegna_dei_beni_mobili_di_proprietà_dello_Stato_esistenti_nella_Biblioteca_Matematica_dal_sig._prof._Boggio aFano.

55 _From₁₉₂₆_to_1935,_the_{Annuari of}_the_University_of_Turin_itemised_the_{Elenco delle}_Riviste_italiane_ed_estere_esistenti_presso gliIstitutiscientificidellaR.Università.ThepatrimonyofjournalskeptinSMLislistedinAnnuario 1926–27,415–416;1927–28, 399–437;1928–29,415–416;1929–30,393–396;1930–31,413–415;1931–32,460–462;1932–33,488–491;1933–34,618–621; 1934–35,463–466.

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Secondly, compared to Segre, Fano had stronger interests in engineering, physics and mechanics,57 which iswhyheopened theshelvestojournalssuchasIngenieurArchiv,Zentralblatt fürMechanik and DieNaturwissenschaften.IndicativeofFano’ssensitivitytothehistoryofmathematicsandsciencecanbe seen inhisdecisiontohavethe SMLsubscribe toperiodicalssuchasOsiris,Archeion, andQuellenund Studien.

Fanoalso enhancedthefunctionoftheSMLfor theadvancementofresearch.Infact,takingas mod-els thevariousSeminariMatematici(MathematicalSeminars)createdinthoseyearsinRome,Milanand Padua, from1929forwardhebegantohost intheSMLtheConferenzediMatematicaeFisica, later re-namedSeminarioMatematico dell’UniversitàedelPolitecnicodiTorino.Fano,flanked byhis colleague Terracini, was one of the leading players of this initiative, andsome of his most famous lectures were publishedinthejournalRendicontidelSeminarioMatematicodell’UniversitàedelPolitecnicodiTorino,

editedbytheSMLfrom1931forward.

During his administration, Fano also managed some important bequests: those of the collections of offprints of his colleagues at the University and the Politecnico, Somigliana, D’Ovidio, Guido Fubini, and BonaparteColombo,58 towhich mustbeadded thelegaciesofSegre andPeano.59 Themiscellanea thus gatheredreached suchadimension (morethan4,115offprints)thatFanodecidedtohave itentirely cataloguedbyhisformerstudent,AdaTerraciano,in1926.60

On21November1938,duetotheraciallaws,61FanowasremovedfromtheroleofdirectoroftheSML; hewasalsoexpelledfromhisuniversitypositions,andfromallItalianscientificinstitutionsandacademies. InordertofullyunderstandthisdelicatephaseinthehistoryoftheSML,weshouldrecallthattheJewish presencewasactuallynumericallyandqualitativelyimportantintheTurinUniversity:twenty-three profes-sorsandtenuredlecturersinthefacultyofscienceswereoftheJewish‘race’,aswerefourfullprofessors ofmathematics outofatotalofnine. Between1938and1943,themajorityofthemathematicians men-tioned before for havinggreatly contributed tothe SMLopted for exile. Thefirsttoleave Turin,bound for Tucumán inArgentina,was Terracini,inJanuary 1939,followedby Fano,who reachedLausanne in September 1939.BoththesescholarspromotedintheirhostuniversitiestheworkoftheItalianschoolof algebraicgeometrytowhichtheyfelttheybelonged,transplantingthebestTurinese‘traditions’in mathe-maticsintonewmilieus,andleadingtointriguingscenariosofacculturationandcirculationofknowledge. TheteamsofauthorsofforeignjournalssuchasCommentariimathematicihelvetici benefitedfromtheir unexpectedcollaboration.ThepublishingarenaofSouthAmericadevelopedbeyondexpectations,because Terracini andhis friend BeppoLevi (another of Segre’s protégés, anda refugee inRosario, Argentina) foundedandeditedthreenewjournals:Publicacionesdelinstitutodematematicas,Revistadematematica yfisicateoricadelaUniversidadnacionaldeTucumán andMathematicaenotae.

Thecompleteupheavalinthescholarlystaffcausedbytheraciallawsresultedinaseriesofreplacements anddisplacementsinandfromotherinstitutions.FollowingFano’sdismissal,lackingalternatives,forthe first time in itshistorythe management of theSML was forced to look for a mathematicianoutside of

57 _“Gino_Fano_{. . .}_kept_the_young_Ugo_apprised_of_the_great_discoveries_in_physics_and_mathematics_that_were_taking_place_around theworld.Inamemoir,UgoFanosaidherecalledbeingintroducedtoNielsBohr’snewatomictheoryatthedinnertablewhenhe was12”(Glanz,2001).

58 _ASUT: _Patrimonio, _Recap. _SC _Bibl. _matem. _1924–1946: _donations _by _C. _Somigliana _(from _1924–25 _to _1928–29); _by E. D’Ovidio (from 1924–25to1928–29);byG.Fubini(from1925–26to1928–29); byG.Fano(from1926–27to1928–29); byB.Colombo.ThemiscellaneaalsoincludedbequestsbyItalianandforeigninstitutions,universitiesandeditorialstaffs. 59 _ASUT:_Affari_ordinati_per_classi,_XIVB_306,_fasc._1–4,_Biblioteche,_Verbale_di_deposito_temporaneo_di_Manoscritti, Torino-Ancona,1Mar.1926andASUT:Corrispondenza–Carteggio 19261.4.Thiscontainstheminutesofthetemporarydepositofthe manuscriptnotebooksofSegre’slecturesbyhiswidowOlgaMichelli,sentbyFanotothedean.

60 _SLM_Archive:_Libro_Cassa_Fondi_{Universitari,}_{Provvedimenti}_varii,₁₇_May_1926,_106.

61 _On_racial_laws_and_their_consequences_on_Italian_scientific_community,_see_Israel_and_{Nastasi (}₁₉₉₈_),_{Israel (}₂₀₁₀_),_Capristo (2002,2014),Luciano (2017,2018).

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Segre’sschool:theanalystFrancescoG.Tricomi,whowouldhavetofacethedifficultyearsofwarandof Nazi-Fascistoccupationintheyears1943–1945(Tricomi,1967,79–80).Atthemomentofthetransition to Tricomi, the SML counted 146,951 books, journals and manuscripts,clear evidence of the policyof constantincreasepursuedbyFanoinhisdecadeofdirection.62

TricomicarriedonintheinternationalspiritsodeartoD’Ovidio,SegreandFano,by takingnew sub-scriptions(Tricomi,1967,64–88).Internationaljournals,suchasthosecreatedinArgentinaby Terracini andLevi,continuedtoarrivetotheSML,albeitirregularly,until15October1942.On8December1942, anair bombardment struck Turin. Therich collection ofoffprints (3,856 documents out of5,300), was almostcompletelydestroyed.63 Thepatrimony ofperiodicals waslessdamaged because,fortunately,the firespared thetwo reading rooms ofthe SML.Thelosses affected thelatest volumesor issuesof some journals,which werecurrently being cataloguedandthus werenot placedon shelves.64 Themost heav-ily damaged series was thatof Studia Mathematica,the representative journalof the Polish ‘school’of functionalanalysis,whichlostfourvolumesoutof 8.

FanoreturnedtoItaly in1946,hisrights andstatus having beenreinstated; Terracinidid notgo back toItaly until1948.Uponhisreturn, hestraightawayassumedthedirection oftheSML.65 Withthat,the directorshipofthelibrarycamebacktoamemberoftheschoolofSegre.66

7. Conclusions

ThestudyofthecollectionskeptintheSpecialMathematicsLibraryofTurinUniversityinthefirstfifty yearsofitsexistencehasgiveninsightsintothematerial,commercialandsocialaspectsofthecirculation ofmathematicsinaveryrichlocalmilieulikeTurin,characterised bya multiplicityofactorsandplaces: theUniversityandPolitecnicoaboveall,butalsotheAcademyofSciences,manyscientificsocietiesand culturalassociations(Mathesis,SocietàproCultura,etc.),atleastsixpublishinghousesdevotedto mathe-maticsandsciences,inadditiontoseveralinternationalbooksellers.

Secondly, the reconstruction of the purchase andsubscription policies has shed light on the waysin whichtheTurinmathematiciansusedandconceivedtheSML,bothasaphysicalplaceandasanabstract space forcollective construction andtransferofknowledge.This iseven moreintriguingbecause ofthe factthatforalmostacentury,theSMLwasdirectedbyscholarswhowereall linkedtotheItalianschool ofalgebraicgeometry,foundedbyD’OvidioandwhichSegrecametolead.OnonehandtheSMLoffered totheschoolofSegre(andtoalesserextentthatofPeano)allthesources(books,journals,lecturenotes, manuscripts,etc.)theyneededinordertoformulatetheirownmathematicalculture,toconstructtheirown identity andto contextualise their activitywithin theframework ofinternational literature. On theother hand,Segreandhisprotégés contributedtowritingthehistoryoftheSML,asitsdirectorsandconsultants. At thesametimetheyservedontheeditorialboardsofoutstandingjournalsandacademicseriesand,in thisrole,theynotonlysucceededinpromotinganddisseminatingthecontributionsoftheirteamwork,but alsowoveacapillarynetworkofinternationalexchangeswithItalianandforeignmathematiciansandwith other figuresfrom outside their domain (teachers, translators,editors andpublishers). They consciously

62 _ASUT:_Processo_di_consegna _dei_beni_mobili_di _proprietà_dello_Stato_esistenti_nella_Biblioteca_Matematica _21.11.1938,_in seguitoallacessazionedelsig.prof.G.FanoaF.Tricomi;Affariordinatiperclasse XIVB393,402.

63 _SML_Archive:_Elenco_degli_opuscoli_andati_perduti_per_eventi_bellici,_{June–October}_1946,_{pp. 1–6;}_Elenco_di_fascicoli_e_volumi dirivisteperdutipereventibellici,28Mar.1946,26Jun.1946,10Oct.1946.

64 _ASUT_Patrimonio:_Recap._SC_Biblioteca_Matematica_1946–1983,_Tricomi_to_the_dean_of_Turin_University,_25.6.1965,_n._4855. 65 _ASUT: _Fascicolo _personale _del _Prof. _A. _Terracini, _letters _dated _14.11.1945, _21.11.1945, _1.2.1946, _8.2.1946, _18.5.1946, 21.12.1946,5.5.1952andSMLCorrespondance:8.9.1947and15.3.1947.

66 _SML_Archive:_Processo_verbale_di_consegna_dei_beni_mobili_di_proprietà_dello_Stato_esistenti_nella_Biblioteca_Matematica, December1948.

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placed such anetwork inthe serviceofthe SML,anditsconstruction anddevelopment really relied on theseexchanges.

Finally,thebiographyofFanohasalsosuggestedanewperspectiveontheconsequencesofnationalism and racistideology forjournalsand researchinstitutionsandon the tension,under atotalitarian regime, betweenthephysicalcontroloverindividualsandobjects,andthefree,supranationalcirculationof knowl-edge.

Abbreviations

ANL-Castelnuovo:ArchiviStorici,AccademiaNazionaledeiLincei,Roma,FondoGuidoCastelnuovo ANL-Volterra:ArchiviStorici,AccademiaNazionaledeiLincei,Roma,FondoVitoVolterra

APVT:UniversitàdiTorino,ArchividiGiuseppePeanoeGiovanniVacca ASUT:ArchivioStoricodell’UniversitàdiTorino

IML:Mittag-LefflerInstitut,Djursholm

SML:BibliotecaSpecialediMatematica,DipartimentodiMatematica‘G.Peano’,UniversitàdiTorino UTo-ACS:UniversitàdiTorino,ArchividiCorradoSegre

UTo-Fano:UniversitàdiTorino,FondoGinoFano

UTo-Terracini:UniversitàdiTorino,FondoAlessandroTerracini

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